Ventana Launches First Fully Automated IHC Test

Exclusive license agreement paves the way for industry's first BRAF V600E IHC test.

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. has announced the global launch of the industry's first BRAF V600E immunohistochemistry (IHC) test to detect the BRAF V600E mutation in a variety of tumors.

The test is designed to detect the most frequent BRAF mutation, V600E, which has been found to play a key role in a variety of cancers including colorectal cancer-the third most common type of cancer and third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

The BRAF V600E mutation is also known to play a role in other cancers such as melanoma, papillary thyroid cancer and hairy cell leukemia.

"As a leader in cancer diagnostics, Ventana is committed to providing unique immunohistochemistry assays for aiding in the diagnosis and management of a variety of cancers," says Ventana President Mara G. Aspinall.

Aspinall continued, "The BRAF V600E (VE1) IHC in vitro diagnostic is a valuable addition to our assay portfolio to aid physicians and patients in the important stratification of colon cancer."

The Ventana BRAF V600E (VE1) Mouse Monoclonal Primary Antibody IHC assay is the result of the company's exclusive license agreement with the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany to commercialize the novel IHC primary antibody that detects the V600E mutated BRAF protein.

It is the only fully automated IHC test providing lab professionals and pathologists with a highly sensitive and specific, standardized testing method for the assessment of the BRAF V600E mutation in tissue.

The assay is optimized to perform on all VENTANA Benchmark IHC platforms with the OptiView DAB IHC Detection Kit, providing easy interpretation and seamless integration into a laboratory's workflow.

Roche also offers the cobas® 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test which is the companion diagnostic for Zelboraf ® (vemurafenib). This test was clinically validated to select patients in the pivotal BRIM-3 study, and only patients selected by this test were shown to benefit from Zelboraf therapy.